1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparel, in particular to sportswear.
2. Background Art
Apparel often has to comply with different requirements. On the one hand, apparel has to protect the body from exterior influences such as heat, cold and wind. On the other hand, it may be necessary to support the thermal regulation of the body itself, for example, to facilitate evaporation of sweat on the skin and to avoid undesired production of sweat on the skin. Thermal regulation is understood to be the active balancing of exterior climate conditions and inner influences by a garment which provides a comfortable feeling for the wearer of the garment. This combined effect of exterior as well as interior influences puts high demands on the design of apparel and the materials used therefore. This applies in particular to sportswear.
In order to solve these problems, U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,221 suggests reduced insulation and/or increased ventilation in temperature sensitive areas of the body. Temperature sensitive areas are considered to be the spine, areas without fatty tissue and without muscles and areas with increased production of sweat. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,099 describes patches of a motorcycle suit with increased ventilation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,151 describes a heat-regulating sock in which an air channel is made from a heat-regulating netted fabric which conducts sweat out of the shoe.
WO 03/065833 A1 and US 2005/0086721 describe a thermo regulating item of clothing with a thermo regulating area. A fabric guides humidity away from the skin towards the textile surface by means of capillary action.
From the US 2006/0179539 it is known to determine the size and location of ventilation openings and heat insulation areas based on a thermal profile of a body.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,380 describes thermoregulatory apparel with insulating panels made from a fabric having moisture wicking capability. In US 2009/0031486 garment for cold weather with zones of increased thermal insulation is described. The zones are arranged in a gender-specific way. U.S. Pat. No. 7,428,772 discloses apparel with areas of different heat insulation.
The German utility model DE 20 2008 001 340 U1 describes an upper garment which has an increased air permeability in the underarm/armpit area.
The prior art therefore teaches different approaches which cover isolated aspects of thermal regulatory apparel such as the combination of heat insulation and ventilation in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,221 or solutions for particular applications such as motorcycle suits in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,099. However, these approaches lack a systematic basis from which the selection of materials for thermal regulation and the arrangement of areas of the garments in which these materials shall be used can be determined.
Embodiments of the present invention are therefore based on the unmet need to provide garments which provide an improved thermal regulation on a systematic basis. A further unmet need is to maintain the body temperature during an activity at cold or warm outdoor temperatures at approximately 37 degrees Celsius. This supports not only the wellness but also the performance of the wearer of the garment since muscles, nerves, heart and breathing are positively supported.